ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy baseball team (16-18) fell on Tuesday afternoon to Maryland Eastern Shore by a 10-4 score in the first game of the two program's home-and-home series. The visiting Hawks scored nine unanswered runs to come from behind and defeat the Mids at Max Bishop Stadium.

Offensively, Travis Blue (Fr., Orange, Calif.) led Navy with two of the team's six total hits. Seniors Kash Manzelli (Dunwoody, Ga.) and Brandon Beans (Hartsville, S.C.) each recorded RBIs for the Mids.

On the mound, freshman Kevin McKelvey (West Covina, Calif.) threw a career-high 3.2 innings in relief and notched four strikeouts.

"You've got to give all the credit to them," said Navy head coach Paul Kostacopoulos. "They swung the bat, they got 15 hits, they came through in clutch situations, they ran the bases well and they flat out beat us. McKelvey gave us some solid innings in relief and gave our offense opportunities to get back into it, but each time we threatened them they came through and made solid plays; that double play in the fifth was huge. They played really well and we just didn't offer much of an attack."

After Navy starting pitcher Sam Sorenson (So., Etters, Pa.) began the game with a 1-2-3 first inning, the Mids responded in the bottom of the frame with two quick runs. Robert Currie (So., Atlanta, Ga.) led off the inning with a single through the left side before stealing second. The centerfielder would come into score in the next at bat as Patrick Brady (Fr., Charlotte, N.C.) hit a ground ball to the UMES second baseman, who fumbled the ball and then errantly threw to first. Brady eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Manzelli.

The Hawks fought back to carve a run off of the Mids' 2-0 lead in the top of the second with a leadoff single, two wild pitches and a fielding error.

With the score 2-1, Navy once again jumped on UMES' wildness as David Norman (Sr., Fayetteville, Ga.) turned a leadoff walk into a run via a wild pitch and a throwing error in the bottom of the second. Blue recorded the Mids' fourth run in the first two innings with a bunt single and an RBI groundout by Beans.

After taking its 4-1 lead, Navy's offense dried up for the remainder of the game as UMES' pitching and defense settled down. The Mids' best chance to score after the second occurred in the fifth when Jett Meenach (Fr., Flower Mound, Texas) and Manzelli went back-to-back with singles to start the inning. A Drew Hayes (So., Collegeville, Pa.) hit by pitch loaded the bases with one out for Navy, but a sharply turned 5-2-3 double play by UMES allowed the Hawks to escape.

The Hawks' offense took advantage of this new-found change in its pitching and defensive performance and rattled off nine unanswered runs over the final seven innings. UMES notched three runs in the third, three in the fifth and three in the ninth to overtake Navy and earn the 10-4 win.

For the game, UMES outhit Navy, 15-6 as nine Hawks recorded base hits.

The Hawks' Chipper Smith earned the victory with a five-inning start, while Michael McCormick (Fr., Speedway, Ind.) took the loss for the Mids in relief. Sorenson received a no-decision as he threw 3.2 innings and struck out four, while allowing four runs on five hits and two walks.

The two teams will conclude its home-and-home series on Wednesday in Princess Anne, Md. with a 3 p.m. first pitch.